1. 35-3 Gorbachev Moves Toward Democracy A. Gorbachev’s Reforms
Mikhail Gorbachev gains power in the Soviet Union in 1985.
He promotes reforms to revive the Soviet system.
Glasnost
Perestroika
Democratization
Foreign Policy

2. 35-3 Gorbachev Moves Toward Democracy
Reforms in Poland and Hungary
Poland and Hungary are among the first Eastern European nations to embrace reform.
Poland’s Solidarity trade union forces change and wins elections.
Hungary also deposes its Communist regime
Communism Falls in East Germany
Protests break out in East Germany, despite official repression.
The Berlin Wall falls and Germany is reunified.
Germany faces many challenges in integrating the peoples and economies of the former East and West Germanies

3. 35-3 Gorbachev Moves Toward Democracy
Democracy Spreads
Inspired by events in neighboring countries, Czechs also end Communist rule.
In Romania, the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is killed and free elections are held.

4. 35-4 Collapse of the Soviet Union A. Unrest in the Soviet Union
Soviet Republics break away, and the Soviet Union dissolves.
A. Lithuania challenges first
B. Boris Yeltsin denounces Gorbachev
C. August Coup and the Hard-liners
D. End of the Soviet Union

5. 35-4 Collapse of the Soviet Union B. The Yeltsin Era
Boris Yeltsin takes charge of Russia.
Yeltsin uses “shock therapy” to move Russia toward capitalism.
Opposition grows to Yeltsin’s economic policies and the war in Chechnya.
Vladimir Putin elected in 2000.

6. 35-4 Collapse of the Soviet Union
Yugoslavia Falls Apart
Yugoslavia, a patchwork of ethnic groups, falls apart in the 1980s.
War engulfs the region, especially in Bosnia, where Serbs, Croats, and Muslims fight for control.
A peace agreement is signed in 1995, but unrest continues.
Eastern Europe Faces Problems
Poland’s economy suffers, and the Poles vote Lech Walesa out of office.
Czechoslovakia’s economy also falters, and the country peacefully splits into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.